DANIEL:

Eric Stephens of the OC Register just got a very long and fairly complete interview with Bobby Ryan. The primary topic of conversation was, of course, contract negotiations.  Stephens starts off with this beautiful quotation from Bobby when he asked Bobby about what he's heard regarding the contract negotiations.

I haven't heard a single peep

Don't worry, it gets better after the jump

Continue reading this post »

Jim McIsaac - Getty Images

View full size photo »

ARTHUR:

The SB Nation Mock Draft is underway.  I'll post the details on my pick when it goes live tomorrow, and next week's posts will be a mixture of our recap of this weekend's Ducks West Coast Prospects Camp and our pre-Draft coverage.  So stay tuned!

Daniel will be out of town for the Draft, so he's sent me his absentee ballot for the Ducks' picks.  His thoughts after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

DANIEL: 

The Anaheim Ducks have signed Sheldon Brookbank to a two year extension. Financial terms were not disclosed, as per club policy.  It seems Murray wanted to keep around somebody who can make safe plays in his own zone.  It has been speculated by some, including me, that Brookbank might make a suitable partner for Visnovsky.  Only time will tell.  This is the first in a long line of free agents that Murray needs to sign this offseason. Bobby Ryan, Saku Koivu, Kyle Chipchura, Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne and James Wisniewski are all players who were key components of the Ducks roster who are still waiting for contracts.  

DANIEL:

The play of Sheldon Brookbank over the past few games has been nothing short of inspiring.  Clearly he attended the same "get ready for every game no matter how badly the team that employs you wants to forget that you exist and have a more than serviceable skill set at your disposal" school of professional preparation as Erik Christensen.  Brookbank's time with the Ducks, and his career, has been centered on the belief that he is more of an extra defenseman than an everyday player.

Continue reading this post »

DANIEL:

This is Anaheim Calling to the hockey world.  The Ducks chances of crawling out of the cellar just went form bad to abysmal.  TSN is reporting that Teemu Selanne will be gone for the next 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his left hand.  Selanne is a key component of the Ducks secondary scoring in 5 on 5 situations along with Saku Koivu. More importantly, Selanne is third in the league with 7 power play goals, and second in game winning goals with 4.  Aside from being a fan favorite, Selanne is very important to the overall performance of the Ducks, and with Joffrey Lupul still sidelined with back spasms there is no indication of who will replace Selanne's goal scoring abilities. 

Continue reading this post »

DANIEL:

This is Anaheim Calling to the Hockey World. It's an old sports cliché that you have to do the little things in order to win.  With that in mind, we are starting a new segment here entitled "Duck Calls."  Not every effort on the ice goes noticed, and sometimes the guys who are off the score sheet don't get the credit they deserve.  For example, a glance at Eric Christensen's numbers since he returned to the lineup reveals that he's averaged just over 15:00 TOI with zero points, 4 shots on goal and a -1.  What the stats won't tell you, is that Christensen took an injured Saku Koivu's spot on the second line a mere ten days after the Ducks had placed him on waivers.  

Continue reading this post »

DANIEL:  This is Anaheim Calling to the Hockey World, the Ducks hosted the annual Face Off Fest tonight.  It's a great opportunity to come face to face with your favorite players and get an autograph or dish a compliment.  The event is only available to season ticket holders and offers so much more than the chance to get a few autographs.  Fans were allowed to skate on the Ponda Center ice, take a tour of the locker room, and enjoy a complimentary hot dog/chips/soda combo to make the autograph line a little more tolerable.  And if that wasn't enough, they let us watch the Caps sink their teeth into the Sharks on the jumbotron.  

Occasionally, it's nice to come face to face with our favorite players and see them for the mortals they really are.  I am writing this more to admit that I enjoyed a night of being a complete fan boy. I've said before, that when the Ducks traded for Selanne I became a serious hockey fan. It's hard to explain, but he changed the entire culture of the team. It was something Anaheim seemed to be waiting for.  He was a legit star and he probably turned Kariya into a full blown star as well.  Even though I waited an hour and a half, a ridiculous amount of time, it was worth seeing him be impressed with my vintage Duck Jersey.  

Also, i've known Arthur a long time and I don't know if I've seen him as joyous as he was at this event. He was grinning like he had just seen Isla Fisher making out with Salma Hayek. I'm talking the real deal complete with wandering hands.  All this from getting signatures from Randy Carlyle and Brian Hayward.  I think that as fans, and more so as bloggers who analyze every move on the ice, we forget the simple joys of sports.  Writers talk about it, but I think there is a connection fans experience with a team to which they are truly committed.  I think events like this allow us to stop being angry about bad plays, bad trades, and bad contracts, and instead we simply appreciate the players who lace them up for us.  Events like this remind us of why we are fans in the first place, and I'd like to personally thank Teemu Selanne for opening my eyes to what is, in my opinion, the greatest sport I've seen, and all the memories that have come with it.

DANIEL:
This is Anaheim Calling to the Hockey World. I know it's fairly common for other media outlets to forget that we pay hockey here on the west coast, and even more common for sports writers to ignore the efforts of west coast players when it comes time to hand out end of season awards (see Samuel Pahlsson for the Selke in 2007). Not only are the Ducks forgotten at the end of the year, it's hard to find a blogger who will pick a Ducks player in their preseason predictions as well. So, I will give you something never seen before, early predictions for hardware that feature only Ducks players. I will post the Ducks who I think have the best shot to win some of the more well known trophies.